Hejazi War of Nejdi Kaf

The Hejazi War of Nejdi Kaf (4 December 1837-28 August 1838) was a military conflict between the Sharifate of Mecca (Hejaz) and the Kingdom of Nejd over the disputed region of Nejdi Kaf in western Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia). The Hejazi invasion of Nejd was defeated at Hail in January 1838 before the Nejdis invaded Hejaz, forcing them to make peace. The war was quick and minor, as the status quo was restored afterwards.

Background
The Sharifate of Mecca, in place for almost 900 years, was located on the western shoreline of the Arabian Peninsula. They had control of the two holy Muslim cities of Mecca and Medina, but they had an unimpressive army and were a weak country. Also known as "Hejaz", the sharifate sought to expand its borders aggressively in 1837 after making an alliance with the Kingdom of Yemen to the south. The Sultanate of Nejd in central and eastern Arabia was also weak in terms of the qualities of their armies and their unimportant geographical location, but they had several armies.

War
On 4 December 1837, the Sharifate of Mecca (Hejaz) declared war on Nejd in hopes of gaining control of their region of Nejdi Kaf in the north of the country, which would weaken their Nejdi enemies and confirm themselves as the rulers of the Arabian Peninsula. The Hejazi general Khalid ibn Salim and the 12,000-strong Bedouins army set out to conquer Nejdi Kaf in January of 1838 after marching through the desert, and they began the occupation of Hail Province. However, Nejdi general Fawzi ibn Ja'far and the 9,000-strong Ibn Saud's Army engaged them in battle and defeated them at the Battle of Hail on 10 January 1838. The Nejdis suffered 1,806 losses while 8,172 Hejazi soldiers were killed, and the army of Khalid ibn Salim was forced to retreat back into Hejaz. They marched to Medina, where they attempted to replenish their troops. However, the 7,194-strong Nejdi army arrived and engaged the Hejazis again. The Nejdis again defeated the Hejazis in the battle of Medina, and 1,687 Hejazi and 313 Nejdi troops were killed. Hejaz was forced to agree to a white peace on 28 August 1838, agreeing to the status quo ante bellum.